For Your Consideration
by TheGirlWhoRemembers
Summary: Even six and a half years after they leave Hogwarts, Padma Patil and Terry Boot are still Ravenclaws through and through. So naturally, an offhand comment leads to some soul-searching, a discussion, the presentation of some evidence, a napkin ring and a wedding on the horizon.


AN: This is the Epilogue to _Lessons. _It is also set in the universe of _Split, Reversing Causality, Those of Wit and Learning _and _If Three's a Crowd._

There is no need to read any of those before you read this, but they do refer to one another at points.

* * *

Padma was deep in thought as she entered their bedroom.

_Should we?_

_I mean, won't it change things? Do we even need to?_

Terry was seated on the edge of their bed, clad in his pyjamas, and she could practically see the cogs turning in his head.

_I bet Michael didn't think a spur-of-the-moment statement would cause so much thinking and introspection..._

_Actually, on second thoughts, considering how well he knows us by now, he probably did._

'_You're practically married anyway! You've planned a future together since goodness knows when, and I bet that you can't imagine a future without one another, even if you won't admit to it! So when are you making it official?'_

She smiled, sitting down beside him.

'Thinking about it too?'

He nodded.

Marriage, as a serious topic, had come up many times in their six-and-a-half year relationship.

The first time had been three years after their relationship commenced.

Apparently, three years was considered an apt time for engagement.

They had both agreed that it was not the time for them.

Their relationship wasn't ready. _They _weren't ready.

It was a committed relationship all the same, but they simply weren't ready for the idea of marriage.

Besides, Padma had only just qualified as a Healer. Terry was still very busy at the Ministry, for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement remained hard at work, even three years after the War.

It had been raised again two and a half years ago, four years into their relationship, when they'd taken up cohabitation in their apartment.

(Their parents, particularly Padma's, did not like the idea of them living together while still unmarried.)

They had assured them that they were indeed in a committed relationship, they would not have any children out of wedlock, and that they simply thought it more prudent and practical to try living together before they married.

It was raised again a year ago, five and a half years in, when they'd opened up a joint vault in Gringotts.

Apparently, it was unusual for unmarried couples to do so.

They'd also decided that trialling the sharing of finances was a sensible idea too. Also, building better shared finances was decided to be of higher priority than getting married at that point in time. They were committed to one another. That was enough.

And it had been raised again, six months ago, when both sets of parents, who had grown very close, teamed up on them ,enquiring as to when they'd have grandchildren.

They'd said in due course, but not until they were married.

(They'd discussed that before, of course. They both agreed that marriage before children was their preference, and to take it one step at a time. They'd also agreed that when they did have children, provided they were lucky enough to, they'd have no more than two, that Padma would cut back her work hours to raise them, for a career in Healing was easier to put on the backburner than one at the Ministry, that they would attend Muggle schooling before Hogwarts if they could get permission and that they'd have to buy a house first, because raising children in a small apartment was not a wise idea.)

Two months ago, when they'd seriously considered buying a house together, it had been raised once more.

That had been a difficult conversation, and they'd very nearly decided to go ahead with it. Very nearly.

'_Marriage is only an institution, Terry. It's to prove commitment. We're committed, aren't we, to one another?'_

'_Of course. But if we were to marry, it wouldn't be for reaffirming that commitment to ourselves, but to everyone else.'_

'_I'm pretty sure everyone else knows how committed we are, everyone else that matters anyway, Terry.'_

'_People marry to demonstrate commitment, and in more traditional viewpoints, to have children and to cohabit, to plan and work towards a future together, Pad.'_

'_We already live together, we're committed, and it is our plan for the future that we're discussing, is it not? As for children, in due time.'_

_He'd nodded. _

'_I agree. This is our plan, and we'll go at our own rate, societal expectations be damned!'_

_She'd smiled wryly, nodding in agreement._

'_Our plan, our lives, our relationship.'_

'_I couldn't have said it better myself, Pad.'_

_He'd grinned, pulling her closer to him. _

_She'd taken a deep breath. _

'_...I love you, and I want to marry you, and have children someday. But...I'm just not sure if I'm ready, if we're ready for that change just yet.'_

_He'd nodded._

'_The same feeling here, Pad. We'll get there, someday, together. Always learning, aren't we?'_

'_Yes, yes indeed, and let's never stop doing so.'_

And now...

'What are your thoughts, Terry?'

'I don't know. What Mike said, about us being practically married, I've thought about it, and it's quite true. I mean, we hold the lease in both our names, all our bills are addressed to us as a couple, we have a joint vault in Gringotts, we live together, we're looking into purchasing a property together and we're planning a future together. What else is there to being married, apart from some documentation, a ceremony and some rings?'

She nodded in agreement.

'You're right. So I guess what we were scared of, change, isn't really relevant, is it? It's not going to change how people view us, if Mike and Tony and our parents and everyone else we know are to be believed, and it's not going to change our relationship, really.'

'So why not?'

She took a deep breath.

'What Mike said got me thinking about something Parvati told me, that you'll know who the one you're meant to be with is when you need them to be happy, to be alive, and you can't imagine a future without them. Well, truth be told, I _can_ imagine a future without you. Even without you, I will definitely keep functioning moderately and I definitely won't stop breathing!'

'I don't think she meant that so literally, Pad. But honestly, so can I. I can even imagine being relatively content in that future.'

She nodded.

'Same. So I thought: Does that mean we're not meant, that we don't love one another? '

He shrugged.

'I don't know. I don't really think that there is such thing as being meant for someone. But doesn't it strike you as ridiculously unhealthy if one depends entirely upon one's partner for one's happiness?'

She tilted her head in consideration.

'Yes, it does. And knowing the both of us, neither of us is ever going to love anyone that much. Yes, I can imagine a future without you. Yes, I could live without you. Yes, I could have a future without you-'

'But I don't want to imagine that future, I don't want to live without you, and I don't want a future without you-'

'Because the one when we're together-

'Is so much brighter.'

They stared at one another for a moment.

Padma broke the silence first.

'How- how did that happen? It was like you read my mind! You're not a closet Legilimens, are you?'

He smiled.

'No, I'm not, and I most certainly didn't read your mind. I can't do that. Sometimes I wish I could, but I can't. I really don't know, Pad. The best explanation I can offer is that great minds think alike.'

She slapped him playfully, before her face turned serious.

'I think...I think that we should get married. As Mike said, we are practically so, and I really don't want a future without you. This is in our plan, isn't it, to marry eventually?'

'Of course it is. I agree. And I don't know about you, but I also kind of want to, for not much of a reason, I just _want _to.'

She smiled.

'Yes, I just want to as well, strange as it may seem. And seeing Ginny the other day, expecting...'

'It would be nice to have children, wouldn't it? A legacy, something from this relationship.'

They sat curled up together for a moment, each seeing, in their mind's eye, the children that they hoped they'd have one day.

He broke the silence.

'Let's get married.'

She smiled at him and kissed him soundly.

'Yes, let's get married. It's not always going to be easy, and we're going to have some rough patches, but let's get married.'

He tucked a tendril of her hair back behind her ear.

'Who said learning was easy? It'd be boring if it always was. We've gone through rough patches and we've learnt to overcome those obstacles. I'm sure that if we try hard enough, we can learn to make our way through anything the future throws are way.'

'Very well phrased, and I couldn't have said it better myself.'

They smiled.

Terry reached for his wand on the bedside table and pointed it at the door.

(He tended to use non-verbal spells nowadays.)

'What are you doing?'

The door opened, and in flew an ornate napkin ring from a set that he'd been given at a Ministry function a year ago, which landed neatly in his lap.

He immediately pointed his wand at the Summoned napkin ring, and Padma quickly caught on.

'Really, Terry?'

'Well, it's traditional, and we can't completely ignore tradition. I'll buy you a proper ring later, if you'd like.'

She grinned as he slipped the Transfigured napkin ring on her left ring finger.

'No, this is fine. We'll save the gold for a house instead, that really does make more sense. After all, this is unique. How many witches can say that they have a napkin ring engagement ring?'

'Ravenclaw did teach us to value uniqueness and individuality...'

'And we're Ravenclaws through and through.'

* * *

Later that night, or perhaps early the next morning, Padma smiled as she heard a soft, familiar voice.

'I love you.'

'I love you too.'

* * *

'You discussed it, agreed, you said _let's get married _and gave her a Transfigured napkin ring? I cannot believe she actually agreed to marry you!'

Michael gaped at Terry, who'd just finished relaying the story of his and Padma's engagement to their two best friends.

(Some details were kept private of course, but he couldn't keep the entire tale from their two best friends.)

Anthony grinned.

'Of course she said yes, Mike! It was inevitable! Ever since they got together...'

'...But you can't just ask a girl to marry you like that! A napkin ring! Really!'

'She did like it, Mike, something different, she said. We decided that the gold could be better spent-'

'But-'

'As proposals go, that wasn't_ too_ bad, Mike. Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived, aborted at least two attempts because he was too scared! Ron Weasley took so long that Hermione proposed to him instead! And Neville Longbottom proposed in a greenhouse...'

'Let me remind you, Mike, that I'm the one who's getting married in six months, not you. It might be unusual, it might be unromantic, but our relationship was never conventional, and I'm very happy with the way it turned out.'

An amused female voice chimed in, its owner having just entered the room.

'Very nicely said, Terry. Mike, I'd never have it any other way. I'm not a red-roses-and-diamonds-and-fancy-dinners kind of girl. Besides, the napkin ring was a thank-you gift from the Minister himself.'

Michael sighed.

'My friends are mental.'

'You concluded that years ago, Mike. It's old news.'


End file.
